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Standish, Michigan - 3 schools
An equity score of 43/100 ranks Standish-Sterling Community Schools #452 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,565 per pupil, Standish-Sterling Community Schools ranks #448 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,505
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$12,565
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Standish-Sterling Community Schools operates 3 public schools serving 1,505 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Arenac County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,565 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending. See how Michigan compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 25.1% local, 59.1% state, and 15.8% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 43/100, ranked #452 of 707 in Michigan against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 3 schools offering Advanced Placement (6 AP courses district-wide), a 492:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 45.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 93.7% White, 2.5% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Sterling Elementary School, with a diversity index of 16.7/100.
Standishsterling Central Jrsr High School accounts for 43.9% of all Standish-Sterling Community Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Standish-Sterling Community Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Standish-Sterling Community Schools school enrollment varies 3.9× across entities
Standish-Sterling Community Schools school enrollment ranges from 168 students (lowest) to 660 students (highest), a spread of 492 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Standish-Sterling Community Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 52.4% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Standish-Sterling Community Schools student-counselor ratio is 492:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Standish-Sterling Community Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 45.5% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Comparisons are relative to Standish-Sterling Community Schools's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in Michigan
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Standish-Sterling Community Schools?
Standish-Sterling Community Schools has 3 schools, including 3 combined. Total enrollment is 1,505 students.
How much does Standish-Sterling Community Schools spend per student?
Standish-Sterling Community Schools spends $12,565 per student. The district has an equity score of 43/100, ranking #452 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Standish-Sterling Community Schools?
Standish-Sterling Community Schools students are 93.7% White, 2.5% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% African American, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Standish-Sterling Community Schools?
Standish-Sterling Community Schools has an equity score of 43/100, ranking #452 out of 707 districts in Michigan.